Machine for making link mesh.



A. C PRATT.

MACHINE FOR MAKING LINK MESH.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8, 1914.

1,144,724.. Patented June 29, 1915.

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A TTOR/VEY THE NORRIS PETERS CO.,'PHOTO-LITHD,. WASHINGTON D. c.

A. C. PRATT.

MACHINE FOR MAKING LINK MESH.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8. I914.

Patented June 29, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

35 INVE/VTUR xxixm, BY 7 WIQVESSES I 1 35 A TTORIVEY THE NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHOTO-LITHO. WASHINGTON. D. L.

MACHINE FOR MAKING LINK MESH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, 1915.

Application filed May 8, 1914. Serial No. 837,143.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALPI-IONSO COM- STOCK PRATT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Glen Ridge, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful'Improvements in Machines for Making Link Mesh, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for making flexible metallic fabric of the character known as link-mesh which is used to a large extent in jewelry work. A machine of this character commonly consists of a support for a piece of link-mesh fabric, suitable forming tools for fOrmingneW linksand meshing them with the links of the piece of fabric on the support and means for moving the piece of fabric on the support and the forming tools relatively step by step so that new points on the piece of fabric are presented successively to the tools toreceive links.

In some kinds of link-mesh, such as that known as ring-mesh, some of the links are disposed in an angular position different from that of other links. In machines for making link-mesh as heretofore constructed, the forming tools have been arranged at substantially a right angle to the plane of the piece of mesh at the point Where the links are added regardless of the angular position of the particular links with which the tools coact in adding a new link to the mesh. The present invention is directed to the improvement of the construction of machines of this character by arranging the link-forming tools in positions which are selected with reference to the positions of those rings of the mesh with which a new ring is linked by the tools in adding that ring to the mesh. Usually the piece of fabric is held in a vertical position and in ringmesh certain of the rings would be at a slight inclination to the vertical and the other rings would be oppositely inclined with reference to the vertical. In such a machine, I provide twoor a multiple of two sets of forming tools and mount these so that they are inclined slightly with reference to the horizontal, the inclination of one being opposite to that of the other. By reason of this arrangement of the forming tools, the axis of operation of the tools of one set will be normal to the plane of the rings of the piece of mesh with which the ring made by that set of tools is meshed.

This facilitates the work of adding new llnks to the piece of mesh on the support and is of special value and importance in the manufacture of the better grades of mesh wherein the rings are of very small internal diameter so that more accurate operation is required in meshing the new, partlally formed links with those of the completed piece of mesh.

Another feature of the present invention resides in the arrangement of a set of linkforming tools in the form of a unit which is complete in itself and which may be mounted in position upon a suitable supporting surface of the machine and removed therefrom as desired. The unit preferably includes a base upon which the link-forming members are mounted and an operating shaft mounted on the base and arranged to actuate the link-forming members, these two members being so shaped that the unit may be mounted in a position such that the operative ends of the two members will be on opposite sides of the piece of mesh to which links are to be added so that these operative ends may coact in completing the formation of a link. Preferably the unit also includes the feeding mechanism for feeding to the tools the material from which the links are formed and all of the other mechanism which is employed in the shaping and meshing of the new links. By the employment of this unit construction in making mesh machines, a substantial economy is effected since any unit requiring inspection or repair may be removed from the machine on which it is mounted and another unit substituted so as to permit the machine to be continued in operation.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a top view of the machine, Fig.

I 2 is an elevation, Fig. 3 is a central section,

and Fig. 4 is a detail view on an enlarged scale. Referring to these drawings, the machine comprises a suitable supporting structure 5 on which a bed 6 is mounted. From the central portion of this bed rises the mechanism for supporting the mesh and moving it step bystep. This supporting and moving mechanism may be of any suitable construction, but Iprefer to employ that shown in Patent No. 948,615, granted to me February 8, 1910. stationary mandrel 7is mounted in an upright position at the center of the bed 6 and the upper portion of this mandrel 7 has spiral threads cut therein as is shown in Fig. 4. The stationary ring 8 mounted on the bed 6 forms a support for a sleeve 9 which is rotatable Within the ring 8 and which encircles the threaded portion of the mandrel 7. This ring 9 has vertically disposed ridges 10 on the interior surfacethereof as is shown in Fig. 1. The ring orsleeve 9 is arranged to be rotated step by step and for this purpose is provided with ratchet teeth 11 at its upper end which are engaged by a pawl 12. This pawl is pressed forward by a suitable spring and with the spring fits in an opening in an arm 13 on the upper end of a rod 14 which is adapted to be rocked in suitable bearings. This rod 14 has an arm 15 secured to its lower end which is engaged by the end of a rod 16 reciprocating in a uide 17 formed on the supporting structure 5. The rod 16 is actuated by a cam 18 secured on the power-shaft 19, the latter being mounted in bearings formed on the supporting structure 5 and arranged to be driven in any suitable manner as by a pulley 20. After shaft 14 is rocked by the rod 16, it is returned by a spring 21 coiled thereon and its return movement is arrested at the proper point by an arm 22 on the shaft engaging the frame of the machine. A retaining pawl 23 holds the ratchet 11 against backward movement. Between the ring 9 and the mandrel 7 is a narrow space adapted to receive a piece of link-mesh fabric in the form of a sleeve. The formation of this fabric is such that spiral depressions are formed upon the inner side thereof and the spiral ridges upon the mandrel 7 enter these depressions. Also, the formation of this fabric is such that vertical grooves appear upon the exterior surface thereof and into these grooves the vertical ridges on the interior surface of the ring 9 extend. By reason of the provision of these ridges arranged as described, when the ring 9 is rotated step by step, the ridges thereon cause the sleeve of mesh to be rotated with the ring and as the sleeve of mesh is rotated thus, it is raised vertically by reason of the spirally arranged ridges on the mandrel 7.

The type of mesh adapted to be made on the machine shown in the drawings is ringmesh consisting of a multiplicity of intermeshing rings. In mesh of this character, the rings of adjacent rows are oppositely inclined slightly to the general plane of the piece of mesh. This is apparent on examination of the few rings shown in position in Fig. 4. In the machine illustrated, the mandrel is provided with a thread and two sets of forming tools are provided, one set for adding the links which assume one angular position and the other set for adding the rings which assume the other inclination.

The forming tools of each set are arranged to cut off a piece of wire, bend that wire into the form of a staple, project the ends of the staple through two rings of the mesh and then curve those ends to complete the ring. Each set of forming tools is therefore wardly and the other set inclined downwardly. On comparison of the inclination of the two sets of tools shown in Figs. 2 and 3 with the inclinations ofthe links shown in Fig. 4, it will be apparent that a staple forwarded by either set of forming tools will be perpendicular to the plane of the rings through which the legs of that staple are projected. By reference to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the bed 6 of the machine is formed so as to provide inclined supporting surfaces on opposite sides of the mandrel, each of these surfaces being arranged to receive a set of forming tools. The forming tools of a set and the mechanisms employed therewith are assembled upon a single base so as to form a complete link-forming unit which may be mounted in position upon the bed of the machine and removed as a unit therefrom when desired. I will now describe the construction of one of these units.

The mechanism of a. link-forming unit is assembled upon a base24 which may be removably secured upon the bed 6 by means of bolts 25. The link-forming members include a die-rod 2 6 and a. plunger 27, the die rod being adapted to reciprocate within the plunger. The end of the die-rod is secured to a housing 28 which incloses a spring 29,

the latter being adapted to engage and operate the plunger 27. The housing 28 carries a roller which rides on the surface of a cam 30. This cam is secured to an operating shaft 31 which is mounted in suitable bearings in the base 24. The operative end of the die-rod 26 is adapted to coiiperate with a die 32 carried by an arm 33 and this arm is operated by a bell-crank lever 34 connected to an eccentric strap 35 whose eccentric 36 is secured on the operating shaft 31. The die-rod 26 also cooperates with an anvil 37 pivotally mounted upon the base 24 and adapted to be operated by a screw 38 secured to the plunger 27 against the tension of a returning spring 39. The construction and operation of these parts may be similar to that illustrated in my patent above re-. ferred to and therefore need not be described in detail here. It will be noted, however,

that the die 32 is not supported upon and operated from within the mandrel 7 but instead is carried by an arm 33 which projects through a slot in the wall of the mandrel 7 so that the die 32 will lie on the side of the mesh on the mandrel opposite that of the operative end of die-rod26. In this way, the die 32 may be mounted on and carried by the base of the link-forming unit. Also, this permits of making the mandrel hollow so that the mesh made thereon may be carried down through the mandrel to a suitable receptacle below. The link-forming unit also includes the mechanism for feeding the wire to the link-forming, members and preferably a support for a reel of the wire. Such a reel is, shown at 40 carried by an arm 41 projecting outwardly from the.

base 24. The wire 42 from this reel passes between two feeding rollers 43. One of these rollershas a ratchet44 secured thereto with which a pawl 45 coacts. This. pawl is carried by an arm 46 which is actuated by a rod 47 reciprocating in a suitable guide 48 formed on the base 24. The rod 47 is actuated by a cam 49 on the operating shaft 81. Each rotation of cam 49 actuates the parts 47, 46, 45, 44 and 48 such a distance as will result in feeding forward a length of wire sufficient for the formation of one link. All of the parts for forming and meshing the links are therefore mounted upon a single base and are all actuated from the same shaft 31. This shaft 31 is arranged to be driven in any suitable manner from the power-shaft 19 of the machine. y In the present instance, the shaft 31 of each unit is shown as provided with a. gear 50 adapted to mesh with a similar gear 51. The gear 51 for driving the lower unit is mounted upon the power-shaft 19.. The gear5l for driving the other unit is shown as mounted upon an auxiliary power-shaft 52 which is connected by a shaft 53 with the shaft 19, the shaft 53 having bevel-gears 54 ,on its ends which mesh with similar gears onthe shafts 19 and 52.

The operation of the parts of each link forming unit need not be described in detail. A length of wire is fed by therollers 43 between the anvil 37 and the, ends of the die-rod and plunger. The forward movement of the die-rod and plunger first cuts off a length of the wire and then bends the piece of wire to the form of a staple around the anvil 37. The anvil is then depressed I below the path of movement of the plunger and the staple is moved forward until its ends are projected through two adjacent rings of the mesh on the mandrel. The die 32 is then moved toward the die-rod 26 so that these two parts come into coaction and bend the ends of the stableso as to complete the formation of the ring. 1

going repairs.

It will be noted that each link-forming unit comprises a supporting structure on which are mounted an operating shaft, a

pair of link-forming members movable toward and away from each other andhaving their ends disposed on opposite sides of the piece of mesh on the support, an anvil about which a wire is bent to form a staple, and feeding. mechanism for supplying the lengths of wire to the tools. These parts together constitute the complete mechanism for making and meshing the links and. by having them assembled upon a single supporting structure substantial economies are effected. The units are interchangeable and may be applied to any one of a plurality of machines. Therefore with a few extra units a-plurality of machines may be kept in practically. continuous operation for if any linkforming mechanism is rendered inoperative temporarily it may be removed and another one inserted in its place while it is under- In this way, the machine may be continued in operation, whereas with machines constructed in the manner heretofore common, the entire machine would be rendered inoperative.

It'will be noted that with the link-forming mechanisms inclined relatively to the surface of the coacting portion of the piece of mesh on the support, each staple made by a link-forming mechanism is advanced so that its ends are projected through two rings of the mesh with the ends of that staple normal to the plane of therings through which they pass. This'is apparent from an inspection of Fig. 4. Because of this disposition of the parts, the projecting of the legs of the staple through rings of the mesh may be accomplished with much more certainty and reliability, particularly in the case of mesh of fine quality in which the rings are of very small diameter. This greater reliability leads to increased output since the necessity of stopping the machine because of failure to properly make and I mesh a link is much less frequent.

Of course, the construction herein shown and described may be modified in many remy invention.

The unit construction of the linkanaking mechanism may be employed in machines of other types such, for instance,as a machine in which the mesh already made is in the form of a flat strip instead of a sleeve, or a machine in which the angular disposition of the parts heretofore described is not employed. Also this oppositely inclined arspects without departing from the spirit of range-ment of the two sets of linlcforming' tools may be employed in connection with such other types of machines, particularly one 111 which the mesh already made is in the formof a flat strip.

Having described my invention, What I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A machine for making link-mesh fabric comprising the combination of a support for'a piece of link-mesh, link-forming tools adjacent to the support and mounted in an inclined position with reference to the surface of the coacting portion of the mesh on the support, means for operating the tools,- and means for moving the tools and the piece of mesh on the support relatively to present different points on the piece to the tools to receive links, substantially as set forth.

2. A machine for making link-mesh fabric comprising the combination of a support for a piece of link-mesh, two sets of link-forming tools adjacent to the support and mounted in oppositely inclined positions with respect to the surface of the coacting portions of the mesh on the support, means for operating thetools of the two sets, and means for moving the tools and the piece of mesh on the support relatively to present different points on the piece to the tools to receive links, substantially as set forth. 7

3. A machine for making link-mesh fabric comprising the combination of a circular support for a piece of link-mesh having a spiral thread on the surface thereof, means for rotating a piece ofmesh about the support and .in coaction with said thread, a plurality of sets of link-forming tools mounted adjacent to the support and in positions inclined to the axis of said support, and means for operating said tools to add links to the mesh on the support, substantially as set forth.

4. A machine for making ring-mesh in which certain of the rings are disposed in an angular relation different from that of other rings, comprising the combination of a support for a piece of ringemesh, two sets of ring-forming tools, means for operating the tools of each set to form a staple, proj ect the ends of the staple through two rings of the mesh on the support and then form the staple into a ring, and means for moving the sets of tools and the piece of mesh on the support relatively, each of said sets of tools being so mounted that the ends of a staple formed thereby, when projected through rings of the mesh on the support, will be substantially perpendicular to the plane of said rings, substantially as set forth.

5. A machine for making link-mesh fabric comprising the combination of means for holding a piece of mesh in a vertical plane, two sets of link-forming tools adj acent to the support and mounted in posi-' tively to present different points on the piece to the tools to receive links, substantially as set forth.

6. A machine for making link-mesh fabric comprising the'combination of a support for apiece of link-mesh fabric, means for moving the piece of fabric step by step, and a link-making unit removably mounted adjacent to said support in position to add links to the piece of mesh thereon, said unit includinga base, link-forming tools mounted on the base and having their operative ends disposed on opposite sides of the piece of mesh on the support, an operating shaft mounted on the base, and means actuated by the operating shaft for moving said tools toward and away from each other,substantially as set forth.

7. A machine for making link-mesh fabric comprising the combination of a support for a piece of link-mesh fabric, means for moving the piece of fabric step by step, and a link-making unit removably mounted adjacent to said support in position to add links to the piece of mesh thereon, said unit including a base, a link-forming tool mounted thereon, an operating shaft mounted on the base and actuating said tool, a feeder mounted on the base, and means for causing the operating shaft to actuate the feeder to feed material to said tool, substantially as set forth.

8. A machine for making link-mesh fabric comprising the combination of a support for a piece of link-mesh fabric, means for moving the piece of fabric step by step, and a link-making unit removably mounted adjacent to said support in position to add links to the piece of mesh thereon, said unit including a base, link-forming tools mounted on thebase'and having their operative ends disposed on opposite sides of the piece of mesh on thesupport, an operating shaft mounted on the base, means mounted on the base and actuated by the operating shaft for moving said tools toward and away from each other, and an anvil mounted on the base and movable to carry its end into and out of the path of movement of one of said tools, substantially as set forth.

9. A machine for making link-mesh fab-- ric comprising the combination ofa support for a piece of link-mesh fabric, means for moving the piece of fabric step by step, and a link-making unit removably mounted adjacent to said support in position to add links'tothe piece of mesh thereon, said unit including a base, link-forming tools mounted on the base and having their operative ends disposed on opposite sides of the piece of mesh on the support, an operating shaft mounted on the base, means mounted on the base and actuated by the operating shaft for moving said tools toward and away from each other, an anvil mounted on the base and movable to carry its end into and out of This specification signed and witnessed the path of movement of one of said tools a this 5th day of May 1914.

feeder mounted on the base, and means mounted on the base for causing the operat- ALPHONSO PRATT ing shaft to actuate the feeder to feed ma- Witnesses:

terial to said tools, substantially as set EDITH DANIEL,

forth. A. H. HAZELTINE.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

